Sexmission
Encyclopedia
Sexmission is a 1984 cult
Polish
comedy
science fiction
action film
. It also contains a hidden political satire
layer specific to the time and place of its production.
and Olgierd Łukaszewicz, respectively, submit themselves in 1991 to the first human hibernation
experiment. Instead of being awakened a few years later as planned, they wake up in the year 2044, in a post-nuclear world. By then, humans have retreated to underground living facilities, and, as a result of subjection to a specific kind of radiation
, all males have died out. Women reproduce through parthenogenesis
, living in an oppressive feminist society, where the apparatchik
s teach that women suffered under males until males were removed from the world.
The cold-shoulder treatment Max and Albert receive from the women, their character differences and specific realities of future life serve as background of many humorous encounters. The plot thickens when it turns out that the females have no interest in the rebirth of men, and that for the good of society, the two males are to be killed or "naturalised," i.e. undergo a sex-change. While trying to break away, Max and Albert find out the impact of their masculinity on women. With one of the scientists on their side, the men choose freedom and prefer to escape and die outside. In doing so, they discover the truth: radiation was just a feminist lie to keep women underground, and begin thinking of bringing it back to "normal."
s to the realities of the communist-bloc
society, particularly to that of the People's Republic of Poland
just before the fall of communism, perhaps in the anticipation of the major events to come; the fall of communism and following introduction of liberty. When Max and Albert escape, they jump through the wall, which then starts to shake (often associated with later Lech Wałęsa
's jumping over the wall of the Gdańsk
shipyard, and also with the subsequent fall of the Berlin wall
). The secret meeting of the women league apparatchiks and their lies to the women parallels the communist soviet government. This dimension of the movie appears to typically escape the viewer more removed from the context. Some sections of this kind were left out from the version shown in Polish theaters by the communist censors, but many passed through.
The movie can also be viewed as a satire directed at intergender conflict (wrong-headed feminism
or wrong-headed masculism
), prudery, or totalitarianism
.
award for the best Polish movie of 1984.
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
. It also contains a hidden political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
layer specific to the time and place of its production.
Plot
The two protagonists, Max and Albert, played by Jerzy StuhrJerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...
and Olgierd Łukaszewicz, respectively, submit themselves in 1991 to the first human hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
experiment. Instead of being awakened a few years later as planned, they wake up in the year 2044, in a post-nuclear world. By then, humans have retreated to underground living facilities, and, as a result of subjection to a specific kind of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, all males have died out. Women reproduce through parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction found in females, where growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization by a male...
, living in an oppressive feminist society, where the apparatchik
Apparatchik
Apparatchik is a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party or government; i.e., an agent of the governmental or party "apparat" that held any position of bureaucratic or political responsibility, with the exception of the higher ranks of management...
s teach that women suffered under males until males were removed from the world.
The cold-shoulder treatment Max and Albert receive from the women, their character differences and specific realities of future life serve as background of many humorous encounters. The plot thickens when it turns out that the females have no interest in the rebirth of men, and that for the good of society, the two males are to be killed or "naturalised," i.e. undergo a sex-change. While trying to break away, Max and Albert find out the impact of their masculinity on women. With one of the scientists on their side, the men choose freedom and prefer to escape and die outside. In doing so, they discover the truth: radiation was just a feminist lie to keep women underground, and begin thinking of bringing it back to "normal."
Political and social satire
The film contains numerous subtle allusionAllusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
s to the realities of the communist-bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
society, particularly to that of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
just before the fall of communism, perhaps in the anticipation of the major events to come; the fall of communism and following introduction of liberty. When Max and Albert escape, they jump through the wall, which then starts to shake (often associated with later Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
's jumping over the wall of the Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
shipyard, and also with the subsequent fall of the Berlin wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
). The secret meeting of the women league apparatchiks and their lies to the women parallels the communist soviet government. This dimension of the movie appears to typically escape the viewer more removed from the context. Some sections of this kind were left out from the version shown in Polish theaters by the communist censors, but many passed through.
The movie can also be viewed as a satire directed at intergender conflict (wrong-headed feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
or wrong-headed masculism
Masculism
Masculism may refer to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing and defending political, economic, and social rights and participation in society for men and boys. These rights include legal issues, such as those of conscription, child custody, alimony, and equal pay for...
), prudery, or totalitarianism
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
.
Reception
The film has been very popular in Poland. It was proclaimed to be the best Polish film of the last 30 years in a 2005 joint poll by readers of three popular film magazines. However, this assessment by the audience was considered to be a surprise as it disagreed with the historical rankings of Polish movies by the professional film critics. It received the Złota KaczkaZłota Kaczka
Złota Kaczka is a Polish award presented by the monthly Film since 1956.- Złota Kaczka for best movie :* 1956: Sprawa pilota Maresza* 1957: Kanał* 1958: Popiół i diament* 1959: Pociąg* 1960: Krzyżacy...
award for the best Polish movie of 1984.
Cast
- Olgierd ŁukaszewiczOlgierd ŁukaszewiczOlgierd Łukaszewicz is a Polish film actor. He has appeared in over 60 films since his 1969 graduation from the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków...
as Albert Starski - Jerzy StuhrJerzy StuhrJerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...
as Maximilian 'Max' Paradys - Bożena Stryjkówna as Lamia Reno
- Bogusława Pawelec as Emma Dax
- Hanna Stankówna as Tekla
- Beata TyszkiewiczBeata TyszkiewiczBeata Maria Helena Tyszkiewiczówna-Kalenicka is a Polish actress.-Biography:Beata Tyszkiewicz is one of Poland’s quintessentially cinematic beauties, having worked exclusively on the big screen...
as Berna - Ryszarda Hanin as Dr. Jadwiga Yanda
- Barbara Ludwiżanka as Julia Novack
- Mirosława Marcheluk as Secretary
- Hanna Mikuć as Linda
- Elżbieta Zającówna as Zająconna
- Dorota Stalińska as TV Reporter
- Ewa Szykulska as Instructor
- Janusz Michałowski as Professor Wiktor Kuppelweiser
- Wiesław Michnikowski as Her Excellency